John's Track of the Week: "Heretics"

Song: Heretics

Artist: Andrew Bird

Album: Armchair Apocrypha

Year: 2007

For anyone who's kept up with this blog all year, you'll probably remember that I was, and still am, a very big fan of Andrew Bird's latest effort, Noble Beast.  The southwestern air about it, mixed with some interesting and active arrangements, made for quite an album.  However, Bird's material has not always resembled what we see on Noble Beast.  On 2007's Armchair Apocrypha, Bird shows a progression from his earlier, acoustic-based works to a more electric-based arrangement.  The songs are more rooted in indie rock than his normal baroque style, and some could say it has been his most rock-oriented album to-date.

In "Heretics," Bird addresses issues with God and death.  Told from the point of view of a heretic, or multiple heretics, he speaks about punishment for the crime of heresy, and how he, the narrator, views the church establishment from the outside.  It's interesting to see it from the passive point of view, rather than the active.  It's not a call for action, but rather, just an observation of the world surrounding the narration.  Outside of the lyrics though, still a great musical arrangement as well.  Check it out below.